SEDUCTION Karina Longworth on Howard Hughes’s Hollywood by Vince Keenan he Many Loves of Howard Hughes” was an essential early series of Karina Longworth’s acclaimed podcast You Must Remember This about “the secret and/or forgotten his- tory of Hollywood’s first century.” These episodes spotlighting several women involved with the renowned filmmaker and aviator form the foundation of Longworth’s new book “TSeduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes’s Hollywood. Telling the story of the figure who personified the male gaze from the perspective of the women drawn into his orbit proved an ambitious undertaking; after two years of research, Longworth said, “I learned much more than I ever could have predicted.” She unearthed enough material to spawn a six-episode season of You Must Remember This diving deeper into subjects only touched on in Seduction, including the careers of director Rupert Hughes (Howard’s uncle) and actress Linda Darnell. NOIR CITY spoke with the former film editor at L.A. Weekly and critic at The Village Voice about Hughes’ life and work, beginning with his impact on film noir. 52 NOIR CITY I NUMBER 26 I filmnoirfoundation.org The tempest over Howard Hughes’ censor-baiting build-up of his discovery Jane Russell’s debut in The Outlaw (left) allowed Russell’s career to flourish, as did her sev- eral films with Hughes favorite Robert Mitchum, including 1951’s His Kind of Woman (right) NOIR CITY: Jane Russell emerges as Seduction’s secret heroine. boxer without ever actually working out. (laughs) He had effortless Many of the actresses Howard Hughes had under contract resembled virility. He wasn’t just Howard Hughes’ idol. For a lot of men and her physically, and you recount many incidents where she shows ini- women, he was an iconic figure of his time. tiative and agency, even outwitting him. How was she able to forge her own persona while in his stable? NC: Hughes called His Kind of Woman (1951) “the best picture I’ve KARINA LONGWORTH: Obviously, her ability to work while ever made” and in some sense you agree, describing it as “a B-movie under contract to him was limited to what he allowed her to do, but through and through, but it was the most thematically substantive— she does show more agency that a lot of the actresses in that situa- and possibly personal—movie Howard Hughes had anything to do tion. Part of it is that she became more famous, and she does owe with.” Can you explain why? that to Hughes. She would probably not have had the career that KL: His Kind of Woman is a hybrid of a couple of different genres. she had if he had not mounted this many-year-long campaign for Film noir is one. It’s sort of a Hollywood satire and sort of a romance. The Outlaw (1943) with her at the center of it. She was incredibly It’s about these people who are walking around behind false fronts famous before anyone had ever seen her in a movie. She was able to and basically negotiating the lies they’re telling all the time. (laughs) take the privilege and the platform of fame and build her own per- The version of Howard Hughes I came to know through reading sona, as someone who didn’t take any bull from anybody and was an many documents having to do with him was someone who told so independent, ballsy woman. She was unique in that case. many lies he—I don’t want to use clinical terms, but he kind of lost his mind. It’s dangerous to say somebody was insane when they NC: You’re so strong on Russell’s presence in Macao (1952), one of weren’t diagnosed as such, but he lost some semblance of sanity try- the films she made with Robert Mitchum. InSeduction , you include ing to keep all of his lies straight. I don’t know what was the chicken Hughes’ quote about the actor, which I suppose is a compliment: and what was the egg; I don’t know if he started pathologically lying “(You’re) like a pay toilet—you don’t give a shit for nothing.” What because he was already having mental problems or if he lost touch accounts for Hughes’ infatuation with him? with reality because he told so many lies. That’s a defining feature KL: The way it was described by people who knew both of them was of his life from the 1940s on, and it’s something that feels like it’s in a lot of ways Robert Mitchum was everything Howard Hughes pulsating out of the screen in that movie. (laughs) could not be, and that idea of not giving a shit is a large part of it. Howard Hughes was able to foster a public persona as somebody NC: You shed a lot of light on aspects of Ida Lupino’s career that are who didn’t want publicity, and was a rebel who didn’t care about the not well known, specifically her relationship with the FBI during the convention of society. But behind the scenes, he was working very blacklist era and how that affected what you describe as “the Trojan hard and paid a lot of publicists because he cared very much about horse act” she had to engage in professionally. What did you learn what people thought about him. There’s that, and there’s the fact that about her and how did you learn it? Robert Mitchum had this incredible physique where he looked like a KL: Ida Lupino obviously was the star of many great film noirs and filmnoirfoundation.org I NUMBER 26 I NOIR CITY 53 Ida Lupino behind the camera of 1950’s Outrage. The actress and filmmaker benefitted from a professional partnership with Howard Hughes, but Longworth’s research unearthed Lupino's troubling relationship with the FBI during the blacklist era other films. She was also the only female member of the DGA in the NC: And you believe she did that because she felt it was a necessity. 1950s and the only woman directing mainstream Hollywood mov- KL: Yes, but it’s not like she’s the only one. There are several stories ies during that time. But what I discovered through reading her FBI in the book of women only being able to wield significant power in file, which was made available through a Freedom of Information Hollywood by aligning themselves with a man. In her career, she was Act request, was that she collaborated with able to get a start as a producer, writer, and the FBI during the blacklist era. Not only was director because she married someone who it a situation where the FBI asked for help, became her producing partner. In terms of the but she volunteered it. She did this at least “I don’t know if [Hughes] division of labor, Ida was doing much more of initially because she was concerned about her the creative work, but she was able to domes- own citizenship. She did name names, and all started pathologically lying ticate this work by being part of a husband- the names she named were people who ended and-wife team. That’s the way a lot of women up being blacklisted. I’m absolutely positive because he was already having were able to negotiate those minefields. she was not the only person to name any of these names. It’s very probable all of these mental problems, or if he lost NC: Did learning this alter your opinion of her? people would have been blacklisted if she had KL: It’s extremely complicated, but it’s abso- not done this. But she did do it. The fact she lutely a problematic legacy to grapple with. did it is surprising because she always pre- touch with reality because he What I tried to do was rationalize it and think sented herself as a liberal. Today we see her as logically about why she would have done it. a feminist icon because of her directing career. told so many lies.” But one thing very clear to me from doing NC: Hughes’ business relationship with research about her was she never presented Lupino is compelling. He sees a kind of sim- herself as a feminist. She was very careful while she was doing this patico between her career and his early success with Scarface (1932). thing that was absolutely pioneering for women to always say, “Oh, He respects her ability to tackle socially relevant material while still it’s not a big deal, I’m just a good wife and mother.” She played down making money. her professional success as a director and played up the maternal and KL: He doesn’t care about the social issues. For him, it was ‘Do what- domestic aspects of what she was doing. ever you want to do as long as you turn a profit.’ Definitely for him 54 NOIR CITY I NUMBER 26 I filmnoirfoundation.org Hughes was fictionalized during his lifetime by jilted filmmaker Max Ophüls in 1949’s Caught. Robert Ryan, here with Barbara Bel Geddes, “physically really resembles Hughes,” according to Longworth it’s the capitalism, not the social justice aspect. They’re simpatico in everybody will know it’s me.’ (laughs) Robert Ryan physically really that he’s interested in making money off of controversy. Any stated resembles Hughes. They have the same sort of lanky stature and ideals Howard Hughes had he was stating them for the money.